Drummond Corn Mill, Drummond Timber Yard, 7 Drumsurn Road, Drummond, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OPD

Drummond Corn Mill

A partially renovated corn mill dating from 1831, situated in the north west corner of the present timber yard at Drumsurn Road, Drummond, near Limavady. The mill represents an important surviving example of local 19th-century industry and retains historical connections to the nearby Drenagh Estate, though alterations have detracted from its original appearance.

The complex comprises several structures. The largest building has been renovated and converted into a staff canteen. It stands two storeys high, three structural bays long, with a recently replaced slate roof and exposed rafters at eaves level. Cast iron rainwater goods and pigmented render complete the exterior. New timber casement windows, subdivided into 12 panes, light the building. On the main south west facade, first-floor windows sit directly under the eaves, with two grouped near each end and a single window placed off centre. Ground-floor windows align with those above, although modifications have been made: at the north west end a larger canteen window replaces the original two, while at the south east end the windows have been reduced in height. Two sheeted doors on the south west facade are protected by a lean-to roof supported on four timber columns and detailed to match the main roof. The north west gable contains another enlarged window serving the canteen. The ground level rises steeply to the north east elevation at the rear, where a door provides access to the first floor.

Adjoining the renovated building in line is a lower derelict structure, approximately 1.5 metres lower at eaves level. This building is constructed of basalt with brick trim around openings and at the eaves. Its south west facade features an arched entrance flanked by a window opening to the north west, with a window above. A second opening appears to the south east, and a further opening at first-floor level continues along the wall. The wall extends past the end of the roof toward the engine room and in front of the former water wheel, with an iron railing positioned at high level over the wheel. To the rear, ground level rises to meet the first floor, with two windows lighting the interior. The wall displays a stone plaque trimmed in brick dated "July 1831" in the centre of the south west facade.

The lower building now serves as a tyre store and retains surviving machinery. An engine room of single-storey concrete block construction with an asbestos roof stands adjacent. The mill race remains clearly visible approaching the complex, deflecting at right angles toward the wheel house. A cast iron grill covers the wheel, with a small sluice positioned to one side for overflow water.

According to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, the mill originally featured a breast wheel 12 feet 8 inches in diameter with a 14-inch rim, a fall of water of 10 feet, and a cog wheel 10 feet in diameter. It could grind two barrels per hour, though it occasionally lay idle in summer due to insufficient water. The building was constructed of stone and lime with slate and stood on the estate of Marcus McCausland Esquire. The 1858 Valuation Book names James Irwin as proprietor of the Corn and Flax Mills, valued at £28.

Two flax mills and wheels also existed in Drummond townland but have not survived. The corn mill remained in use until the early part of the 20th century, with electricity generation continuing until the 1950s. It is no longer part of the Drenagh Estate. The site is of industrial archaeological interest.